The Heavenly Bride Book Two

The second volume of Katrina Joyner's collected webcomic. I purchased both volumes by way of Kickstarter in 2016. My review of the first volume is here.

Title: The Heavenly Bride
Issue: Book Two
Publisher: The Writers of the Apocalypse
Date: 2016
Writer: Katrina Joyner
Artist: Katrina Joyner

The second volume of Katrina Joyner's collected webcomic, The Heavenly Bride, continues the entanglement between Lhung, a celestial dragon in human/vampire form, and Taus, a winged assassin in training.

This volume delivers quite a bit more plot than the first book in the series, and it introduces new characters while solidifying the worldbuilding. It also brings the tragedy of Lhung's vampiric nature to the fore, and provides the needed backstory for a better understanding of Taus' complex situation.

There is a sexual assault and the subsequent response to it that, while not show graphically, was an unpleasant sequence that also ventured into some overplayed tropes, but it does not remain a focus, and the story is able to move beyond it.

The setting becomes more fascinating as it is fleshed out, and the minor characters get a lot of development. This is a story with a lot going on, and I'm interested to see how it continues to develop.

Rating: 8.5/10

Akashik

From the random stack of unread comics (technically this one was not unread; I just hadn't gotten around to reviewing it). I got this issue directly from one of the creators, Katrina Joyner, who I worked with on numerous projects in the past.

Title: Akashik
Publisher: The Writers of the Apocalypse
Writer: Katrina Joyner, Rebecca Pinder, Jenny Anderson, Halona Brooks
Artist: Katrina Joyner, Rebecca Pinder, Jenny Anderson, Halona Brooks

This is a humorous space opera, beginning with a woman trapped in space on an unworking spaceship. She has a mechanic aboard, but it's becoming clear that he may not be up to the task of getting the ship fixed up. And he may not be able to put up with her long enough to get the job done anyway.

There are bounty hunters, an elite warrior-team known for killing off entire planets, and plenty of snarky dialogue. There is also a flashback the connects the two main characters in a really interesting and unexpected way.

This story jumps right into things, and moves at a quick pace. The humor works well, and there is good chemistry between the two main characters.

Rating: 7.5/10

Heavenly Bride Book One

I got this (along with the second volume) by way of Katrina Joyner's Kickstarter campaign last year.

Title: Heavenly Bride
Issue: Book One
Publisher: The Writers of the Apocalypse
Date: 2016
Writer: Katrina Joyner
Artist: Katrina Joyner

Lhung, a celestial dragon, takes on mortal form, and soon falls in love with Taus, a mysterious young woman who seems to be able to see him for what he truly is.

Their growing friendship in complicated by a succession of factors, not the least of which is that the body that Lhung now inhabits happens to be vampiric in nature.

This is a nicely paced supernatural romance that builds slowly and gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters as the tension and complications grow. The world is familiar enough to be accessible, and the supernatural elements are woven smoothly into the setting.

Because of the pacing the story sets, not a lot gets resolved in this first volume. This book is all about adding conflicts rather than solving them. It is still a very good introduction to the characters and settings with a good amount of plot twists to keep things moving along.

The artwork is lovely, and the bits of color splashed in places throughout the book serve as a nice addition to grab the reader's attention.

I'm looking forward to checking out the second volume.

Rating: 8.5/10